Presentations and Workshops

ReclaimDemocracy.org has speakers available to address a wide variety of issues relating to the struggle for democracy v. corporate power. Speakers are available for keynotes, debates, panel discussions or intensive workshops that we recommend highly for local working groups.

Our most frequent speaking topics include:

Corporate responsibility: hope or oxymoron?

Do corporations have rights?

Beyond left and right: building a Democracy Movement

Main St. vs. Wall St.

Political reform as if democracy mattered–getting to the roots

The myth of “free trade”

The path to localization and a restorative economy

Corporate mind control and the power of democratic language

We are happy to customize talks to your specific interests and goals.

From Here to Democracy: Strategies for Revoking Corporate Power and Building a Democracy Movement

Do you feel like you’re struggling against problems caused by corporations, fighting one battle at a time, one after the other, without gaining ground overall?

Can we make corporations “responsible?”

Do you wonder where to focus your limited time or money to the greatest effect?

Our “From Here to Democracy” workshops are geared toward a small group (10-25) of participants who wish to grapple with illegitimate corporate power and corruption of democracy and wish to gain deeper understanding and tools for becoming more effective agents of change.

These workshops will prod you to question some of your basic assumptions, deepen your understanding, and ultimately help sharpen your focus and effectiveness as an active citizen. We’ll work to develop strategies on how every campaign we wage can be part of a larger movement to dismantle corporate power and revive democracy. We recommend two days for maximum effectiveness of these workshops, but also offer a single-day version.

Sample outline (at least 5 hours needed for this agenda, 10-14 hours over 2 days suggested). Briefer presentation are offered covering any of these topics.

A brief history of corporations and democracy and corporate shaping of culture in the U.S. today.

“What’s the problem?” exploring a range of views on the real roots of the problems we are working to solve.

The nature of corporations — getting to know the adversary. A brief presentation followed by discussion.

Lessons of both our successful and failed U.S. social movements and the general characteristics of successful movements.

Analyzing mechanisms of corporate rule and mechanisms of indoctrination into corporate thinking.

Exploring avenues for reviving democracy vs. working on corporate turf, escaping the limits of our own preconceptions, and moving from damage control to asserting citizen authority.

Evaluating “new paradigm” models for systemic change and relating current work to past successful social movements

Bringing it home to our own work. A look at how some current issues could be framed and focused differently. How can our improved understanding of our systemic problems be converted to opportunities for successful organizing and impact?

Please contact us for scheduling inquiries and to learn who is available for presentations in your part of the country. Organizational allies including Move to Amend, Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County (CA), and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund also offer related intensive workshops. You may also want to explore to see which best fits your interests and location. Yes Magazine published this report summarizing the workshop offerings of all these organizations.

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Our Mission

Reclaim Democracy! is dedicated to restoring democratic authority over corporations, reviving grassroots democracy, and establishing appropriate limits on corporate influence. We work for systemic change, instead of reacting to corporate agendas. More about us.